


Dear Anonymous, Sincerely Fuck You

by HawkyBarton



Series: OTP and Fanfic Brigade (Prompts galore) [69]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Deaf! Clint, Fluff, Getting hate sucks balls, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY OTHER TAGS, Little Bird Clint, M/M, Protective!Avengers, Teen!Clint, kid!Clint, ominous ending, prompt, ranger!Phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4834451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawkyBarton/pseuds/HawkyBarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint gets hate-mail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anon asks: Prompt: Clint has always had self esteem issues, who wouldn't? When he missed a shot when he was a kid he'd get whipped etc. now he's 19 and an Avenger. A /human/ Avenger that gets ignored a lot. It's the Captain America and Iron Man dolls that get picked, Black Widow and Thor as well, its them people hold up signs for in interview and press conferences. One day Clint starts getting told that he's not good enough to be on the team, he's a liability, they don't need him or want him but his family and loving boyfriend (Phlint trash) find out when they see a letter he got handed (really hate fanmail?) and they comfort him bc they find him all sad and self hatin in the shooting range mumbling to himself "do better" "don't miss" "don't fuck up boy" "yes sir please don't" yknow? And then the next time they're at a PR event the team is flat out like "we love our little bird, you mess with him you mess with us"

 

It really sucked being the only human on a team full of geniuses with super suits, alter-egos, gods, and enhancements. 

It also sucked being a 19 year old surrounded by people in their 30s in older, but that wasn’t the big issue. 

The issue was being the only one that was ‘weaker’. No one cared about how incredible it was for a 19 year old deaf kid that Tony Stark and Bruce Banner sometimes ask for math help is on a team of superheroes. Oh no, it was all about the flash with the fans.

All the other Avengers had toys, and merchandise, and Halloween costumes.

Clint had 12 items on etsy.

When the Avengers were being interviewed, nobody ever wanted to ask Clint any questions. Nobody cared about Clint. 

Which really pissed Clint off because he did have a lot to say. He had a lot he wanted to tell others, he wanted the world to know his story and know that anyone could be great.

But how could they when nobody bothered with Hawkeye?

It made him feel like less of a team member, and more of a lackey they keep for emergencies. 

It made him feel like he was back at the circus and just being Jacques or Buck’s side-act. There, but not important.

Clint made sure that nobody knew, and when he got those rare skype calls from his amazing ranger boyfriend Phil, he never did anything else but smile. 

No matter how much his self-esteem was tanking, he always smiled.

Until the letter came.

It was from an unknown sender, but it was definitely addressed to Clint. 

_Oh sweet, fan-mail! Finally!!_

It wasn’t fan-mail.

It was the opposite of that, it was pure hate. 

_Dear HawkGuy,_

_You suck. I don’t know why you would bother to be on the Avengers team. You’ll never measure up to them, **ever.  
**_

_They’re better than you in every way. I mean, what can you even do? Shoot some arrows? Ooooo such a superhero, NOT!_

_Literally everything you do can be done by someone else on the team ONTOP of having their own powers.  
_

_So you should just do everyone a favor and drop off the Earth, before you bring the rest of the Avengers down with you.  
_

_Carnie-freak._

_Sincerely,_

_**Not** a fan_

Clint dropped the letter he was holding and crumbled to the floor. 

he had never imagined that someone would be so cruel as to send him (or anyone for that matter) hate mail.

But he couldn’t help but think that they were undoubtedly correct. 

He wasn’t fit to be on the team.

He was the only weak link, the only human on a group of advanced people. 

_I could get one of them hurt one day. I’m not perfect like they are.  
_

Getting up, Clint clenched his hands and headed to the range.

In the circus, Clint worked night and day to make sure he never made any mistakes. And when he did, he worked even harder, punishing himself to make sure it never happened again. 

So that’s what Clint was gonna do, work. Work so that he would never be a disappointment for the team.

 

*******

Phil was confused as to why Clint didn’t meet him at the base when he arrived home, since they had skyped earlier in the week, and he hadn’t gotten a message saying Clint was on a mission with the Avengers. 

Sighing, Phil hopped into a cab and headed to the Avengers tower, already mourning the money that will soon depart from his bank account. 

Two hours later, Phil reached the tower (over $100 poorer) and headed inside. 

“Hello Jarvis” Phil said cheerfully.

“Hello Sergeant Coulson” The AI responded.

Phil rolled his eyes, “Are the Avengers out on a mission?”

“No sir, they’re all in the tower”

Phil frowned, “Then why didn’t he meet me?”

“I cannot answer that question sir”

Phil’s frown deepened as he stepped off the elevator and into the common room floor.

“HEY! It’s Agent Agent guys!” Tony said as soon as he noticed Phil.

Phil just raised an eyebrow in response, “Have any of you seen Clint? He was supposed to meet me but didn’t”

The team frowned as they looked at each other. 

“We haven’t seen him in about a week actually,” Steve said after a moment.

“I thought he went to stay in a hotel closer to base so he wouldn’t have to wake up early” Natasha said with a distracted hum.

Phil sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Well this is great”

Bruce sighed, “Maybe he’s in the range. He sometimes goes there before Phil gets home. He says it centers him”

Phil nodded in agreement and off the team went to go check on Clint.

 

~

Phil was the first one to enter the gym, and therefore was the first one to notice Clint. 

He looked exhausted. 

He was standing at one of the stalls and kept shooting arrow after arrow, mumbling something to himself. 

As the team got closer they could just barely make out his words.

“Not good enough. Need to practice. Won’t let the team down. Need to be better” he mumbled in a cycle as he continued to shoot.

Shocked, Phil ran over to his boyfriend and wrenched the bow from his hands and set it down before catching Clint in his arms.

“Clint, it’s over now. What ever is eating you, it’s okay. I’m here. Shhhh” he whispered as Clint collapsed, forcing them both to the ground. 

Looking up at the team, Phil glared. “What the fuck happened?!?”

Thor (the glorious puppy as self-proclaimed guardian of Clint that he was) clenched his fists, “I know not. But I will find out”

Phil just nodded and went back to cooing into Clint’s ear as the younger man began to fall asleep.

 

*******

There was a big cuddle pile in the common room floor watching Disney movies, when Thor stormed back in with a piece of paper in hand. 

“Was this what troubled you Little Bird? This disgusting piece of hate that discourages all of your hard work?”

Phil frowned when Clint seemed to curl into himself, ‘What are talking about Thor?”

Thor just handed the piece of paper to Phil, and suddenly 4 other pair of eyes were looking over his shoulder as he read.

Stunned silence came over them once they finished. 

“Oh Clint,” Phil finally whispered. 

Pulling the archer closer to him, Phil pressed a huge kiss to his temple. “You’re so much more than what this person told you”

Steve nodded, “Trust me. We don’t feel this way, and we would be lost without you.”

Natasha smiled and reached over to brush her fingertips through Clint’s hair, “I wouldn’t be alive if it hadn’t been for your eyes”

“And not even the most skilled archer in all of Asgard could measure up to you skills Little Bird,” Thor said with a gentle voice. “They were ashamed when you bested them in battle”

Tony nodded, “And like. You’re really smart too. You build your own fucking arrows” 

“Yeah. Tony tried to build you an arrow. It didn’t go well” Bruce added with a smug grin in Tony’s direction. 

“And yes, you’re a Carnie Freak” Phil said with a smile. “But I happen to think carnie freaks are sexy and perfect boyfriend material”

Clint just looked at them with watery eyes and slowly smiled. 

Phil sighed in relief. It would be an uphill for them all to prove to Clint how special he was. But at least they were off to a good start.

 

*******

The entire team were on a talk show for the first time since Clint had gotten the hate mail. 

The interviewer was following the standard protocol when it came to the Avengers. Ignore Clint, etc etc. But today the Avengers had finally had enough. And they were ready to show the world that they meant fucking business.

“Sorry, don’t mean to be rude but we have some things we need to say” Tony interrupted the host. 

The host, who was not an idiot, quickly shut their mouth and let Tony speak.

“So one of our own got some nasty hate mail the other day and we would just like to address it” Tony continued. 

“Somebody out there believes that Hawkeye doesn’t deserve to be on the team, and is a hindrance to us” Steve continued. 

“We would like to point put how untrue that is. Clint Barton can be considered far superior than the rest of us for many reasons” Bruce added on. 

“Not only is Clint the only human on the team… He’s only 19 years old, and I believe legally deaf. He was born into poverty, brought up in some of the worse conditions imaginable, and yet here he is today. A superhero” Natasha continued. 

“We love our little bird very much. He is an inspiration to us, and should be one for you as well. So lastly we just want to say - you hurt our little bird one more time, we WILL hurt you” Thor finished. 

 

******* 

Jacques Duquesne slammed the off-button on the TV and turned to look at Buck. “Well that didn’t work, any other BRIGHT ideas?”


	2. Tis a Follow-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team figures out who sent the hate mail.
> 
> They aren't happy to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon asked: Psst you should consider a part 2 for that hate mail to Clint where the team finds out Jaq sent it cuz he just keep trying yknow and its like hell nah bitch our little bird

It had been almost a year since Clint had received the first hate mail letter. 

 

Since then he had received one every month, the mail getting increasingly more angry and threatening. 

 

The latest letter Clint received listed several ways in which the sender could hurt or kill Clint. 

 

Surprisingly, Clint was real calm about this. Everyone else?

 

Livid.    

 

~  
  
"Clint I _swear to god_ , how can you be so cavalier about this?" Phil asked exasperatedly over their Skype call one night.   
  
  
Clint sighed and looked at his boyfriend. "Phil, I love you, but please don't push me on this. Everyone else is doing it, and I really just want someone to be on my side"  
  
  
Phil huffed, "Clint. I'm always on your side, you know that - but someone is sending you death threats, you can't possibly be taking this lightly!"  
  
  
Clint shrugged, "And yet I am. Tony gets death threats all the time and never worries about it, why should it be any different with me?"  
  
  
"Because Tony has an entire team of bodyguards to protect him as well as being Avenger. Also, _his_ letters are by multiple people who send the mail in more for attention than anything else. _Your_ letters have been from the same person and have consistently gotten more aggressive as time progressed. It's worrying because we don't know who this psycho is Clint, and the fact you don't really care is kinda problem some"       
  
  
Clint groaned, "Come on Phil. I highly doubt this guy means business. I've been out and about alone without protection many times since the first letter came, and whoever they are hasn't done anything yet. The odds are they never will"  
  
  
Phil sighed, "It's obvious we're going to continue to disagree on this subject, but I don't want to end the call on a sour note"  
  
  
Clint smiled, "Okay. Are you excited for your last tour to end soon?"  
  
  
Phil nodded, "I am. But I think  you're more excited than I am"  
  
  
Clint's smiled widened. "Of course I am! Fury has already hired you as the Avengers liaison, so we'll be able to spend all of our time together. It's gonna be great Phil!"  
  
  
Phil just looked at his boyfriend's excitement and smiled, "Yeah.... I have to go now, love you"  
  
  
"Love you too Phil"  
  
  
~  
As the letters became even more vicious, the team began to take measures to ensure Clint's safety at all times (much to his annoyance).  
  
  
If Clint ever left the tower, one of the team was alerted, and they escorted him everywhere he went.  
  
  
In battle everyone always made sure to keep tabs on Clint and took extra care to keep him safe.  
  
  
When he was left alone in the tower, at least one of the Avengers checked in with Jarvis every hour to make sure Clint was still okay.  
  
  
It was stifling, and if Clint didn't love his teammates as much as he did, he would have told them off. Or well... Told them off a little meaner than his pouting and whining (which had done zilch).  
  
  
Clint didn't fully get to the end of his rope, however, until his 21st birthday.  
  
  
~  
  
It was Clint's 21st birthday, Phil's tour had been extended due to something he couldn't discuss with Clint, and the team was refusing to take him out for a drink.  
  
  
It was the straw that broke the camel's back to say the least.  
  
  
So he snuck out.  
  
  
Clint found a way past Jarvis's sensors and ended up in a seedy bar in the middle of Hoboken.  
  
  
It wasn't the best place to celebrate his 21st birthday, but it was at least a place that he could do so.  
  
  
Ordering a Heineken, Clint settled down at a table and checked his vantage and exit points, making sure he could handle himself if the issue arises.

 

Everything went fine until a man plunked down in front of Clint, and leaned forward. "If you want to live, you'll follow me kid"  
  
  
Clint blinked, "Excuse me?"  
  
  
The man shook his head, "Come on kid, we need to leave or you'll be fucked"  
  
  
Clint frowned, "How can I trust you?"  
  
  
The man sighed, "A long time ago Steve Rogers used to trust me.... Now can you?"  
  
  
Clint's eyes widened, "Holy fuck, are you-?"

 

"Yes, that's me. Now we need to get out of here!"  
  
  
Clint had no choice but to follow Bucky Barnes (the _fucking Winter Soldier_ ) out of the bar and back to the tower.

  
  
~  
Clint and Bucky made it back to the tower and up to his rooms without anyone recognizing that Clint had returned home with a friend (or that he had left in the first place).

 

Spinning around, Clint looked at Barnes. "Okay, what's going on?"

 

Bucky sighed and plopped down onto Clint's couch. "You've been getting death threats, right?"

 

Clint froze. "How did you know I've been getting death threats? You didn't just lead me up here to kill me, did-?"

 

"Kid if I had wanted you dead, you would be dead. Now don't be stupid... Anyway, I figured out who has been sending the mail"

 

Clint unfroze slightly, "Who?"

 

Bucky laughed hollowly, "Your old mentors - Jack and Buck"

 

Clint blinked for a moment before nodding. "That makes a lot of sense actually... Wait, how did you know that they sent the mail?"

 

Bucky raised his hand (the flesh one, not the really cool metal one) and sighed. "When Steve and I butted heads a few years back, it pushed the soldier out of me, and the bare bones of Bucky back in. Ever since then, as I gained my life back, I've been keeping track of you guys. When I realized who had been sending those letters, and saw you in that bar about to get into trouble, I made sure you were okay... Explanation enough?"

 

Clint nodded and they sat in silence for a few moments.

 

"So..." Clint drawled. "I guess we should go tell the team about stuff"

 

Bucky huffed, "About stuff. Perfect phrasing kid"

 

Clint wrinkled his nose, "It seemed to sum up the situation"

 

Sighing, Bucky stood up and dragged Clint with him. "By all means kid, let's go tell them team about 'stuff'"

 

~

The Avengers were all in the living room when Clint walked in with Bucky.

 

To say all hell broke loose was an under statement.

 

There was shouting and yelling, weapons were being pulled out, and so on.

 

It would have gone on forever if Clint hadn't stopped it by pulling out the secret weapon (tears).

 

If you had looked at the group of adults that were the Avengers, you never would have guessed in a million years that the tears of a 21 year old could bring them to their knees.

 

But it happened (and Clint used that to his advantage on several occasions).

 

When the tears fell, the fighting stopped and calm reigned as Clint was able to explain the situation to them.

 

20 minutes later several irate Avengers were using Jarvis to scour the city for Jacques and Buck's whereabouts as Clint and Bucky sat in the living room watching Disney movies.

 

It was a weird way to end Clint's birthday, but Clint had had weirder.

 

He was used to it.

 

Besides, Phil just sent him an email saying he would be home in a week and a half.   
                                                                                                                

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))

**Author's Note:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


End file.
